Sole Survivor
by Bulbasaur4ever
Summary: A story about the ill-fated mission on Akuze, in Shepard's past. This is one of my 3 Shepards. Rated T to be safe. Oneshot. Enjoy!


I don't own Mass Effect

I was bored, so I decided to write a story of the mission on Akuze. This is my Shepard, a Sentinel named Natasha. Please review!

* * *

The SSV Detroit flies in over the colony on Akuze, heading towards the designated landing zone. Commander Natasha Shepard and her team step out of the elevator into the cargo hold, where Admiral Steven Hackett is waiting, standing before a full marine unit, Regal Squadron.

"Shepard, are you and your team ready to go?" Hackett asks as she steps up alongside him.

"All set, Admiral." She replies, tying her long blond hair up into a pony tail.

"All right men, here's the story." Hackett says, addressing the marines. "The colony below recently dropped out of contact. We sent a small team, but there's been no sign of them since. We need to find out what's happened. We will drop you at a landing zone a mile from the colony. We will leave a shuttle there in case of emergency, but once you have completed your mission you will return and we'll pick you up. A storm is approaching, so we may be out of radio contact. You will be under the command of Commander Shepard here. You will do exactly what she says when she says it, got that?" The men all nod, some apprehensively. "Dismissed. Enter your crafts and prepare for descent."

"Admiral, is there anything else we should know about?" Lieutenant Rosie Ford asks. She's the tech expert of the Shepard's strike force, and the two are good friends.

"Nothing springs to mind." Hackett replied.

"Do you want us to get the relay set up, or look for survivors?" Corporal Whitney Amstrong inquires. Always one to do things by the book, he was a true soldier.

"Find out what happened, and if it's safe get the relay up. There's no point setting up another colony if it will be destroyed again."

"Right, Admiral." Shepard replies and smiles to the Admiral. He nods to Natasha, and heads back up to the bridge. "Okay, here's how it's gonna go. Kyle, John, take a Mako each." The two of them, Kyle Harris and John Ringer, are two of the best vehicle engineers in the whole Alliance.

"Zack, you're with me and John. Rosie, take Whitney with Kyle." Zachary McCormack, another soldier that likes to get things done whatever the cost. "Right, saddle up."

Rosie nods to the commander, and walks with Whitney over to Kyle. Shepard leads the way over to the second Mako, and crawls in through the entry hatch.

"They should really come up with a better way to get in these things," Shepard grumbles as she pulls herself through the hatch between the six wheels into the cramped cockpit. Zack crawls through after her, and takes his position in the gunner's seat. John is already in the driver's seat, so Shepard sits in the navigator's chair beside him, and slips the headset into her ear.

"All set John?" Shepard asks as she powers up the navigation systems.

"Yep, Shepard." John replies. "Ready for the drop."

"Okay. Admiral, you all set?" Shepard says into the headset. "Good. All teams, you ready?"

"Regal 2, reporting in." Rosie's voice crackles through the radio.

"Regal 3 ready." Replies a marine from the first of the five other Makos.

"Regal 4 standing by."

"Regal 5 all set."

"Regal 6 here."

"Regal 7 checking in."

"Regal 8, roger that."

"Regal Roller 1 reporting." The driver of the first of the four Grizzly APCs carrying 8 marines speaks through the comms.

"Regal Roller 2, affirmative."

"Regal Roller 3, all systems go."

"Regal Roller 4, we're all good."

"Admiral, we nearly there?" Shepard asks.

"Just touching down now. All teams, prepare for deployment."

The Detroit's bay doors open as the cruiser reaches an altitude of about 50 feet.

"Off you go men. Be safe out there." Hackett's voice comes over the intercom.

"Alright Regal Team, here we go." Shepard nods to John, who floors the accelerator and tears out the hangar, closely followed by Rosie and the others. As they fall through the air, John hits the thrusters beneath the 6 wheeled craft and they touch down with barely a bump. John pulls the Mako away as the other members of regal Squadron launch out of the hangar, some not touching down as softly as John. Once all the vehicles have touched down, the SSV Detroit pulls away to wait in orbit until the mission is complete.

"Right, all teams, pillar formation." Shepard orders through the comms. "Form up behind me."

John pulls the Mako up alongside Kyle's, and the rest of Regal Squadron pull up behind.

"We're down, and heading to the colony now." Shepard reports back to Hackett. "We'll radio back when we arrive. Let's go, John."

"You got it, Commander." John floors the accelerator and drives east towards the colony, with the rest of the squadron following behind. As they reach roughly halfway, drops of rain start to fall on the roof of the Mako, and it soon turns into a torrential downpour, clattering down onto the ATV. After about five minutes, the Mako pulls through into the colony and stops in the central plaza. Shepard opens the exit hatch and slides out, landing in the mud, spattering her dark green armour. She straightens up, and looks around. The rain is still falling, and the earth that had been hard packed when they landed had turned into a muddy bog. Shepard walks over to a nearby building and peers in through the windows, but can't see anything inside. Already her hair is soaked, so she reaches up and dons her helmet, and radios to the admiral as Rosie joins her.

"Admiral, we've made it to the colony, but there's no sign of anyone here. I'll send a team to the transmitter."

"Well done Shep… ry and find out wha… e need to get it ba…" The rest of the admiral's message came through as static and buzzes.

"Admiral, you're breaking up. Admiral?" Shepard replies, but the radio goes dead. "Damn it…"

"What's up, Shep?" John asks as he slides out of the Mako.

"We've lost contact with the admiral."

"That's odd." John replies. "This storm isn't bad enough to interfere with the comms yet. I could try and get through with a grizzly, they've got a better comm system."

"Okay, one second." Shepard climbs up onto the top of the Mako, draws her pistol and fires a shot into the air, and all the marines turn her way.

"Listen up men; we've dropped out of contact with the Detroit. I'll need a team to head up to the transmitter and check that out. Regal Roller 1, take your squad up. The transmitter's up that hill."

"Got it, Commander." A group of Marines head back to one of the grizzlies, and drive up the hill.

"Okay, Regal squads 3-8, take your Makos and check out the edge of the colony. The rest of you, fan out and search the place. Look for any clues as to what happened." Shepard holsters her pistol, and jumps down into the mud, splashing it onto her armour even more.

"John, test out the grizzly comms." John nods, and climbs into one of the grizzlies.

"Whitney, stay here with him." Shepard orders. Whitney nods and heads over to the grizzly. "Rosie, Kyle, Zack, you're with me." The four of them walk along the road towards the heart of the compound, trudging through the thickening mud. As they're walking, Zack trips and collapses into the mud, face-first. He gets up, sputtering and cursing foully.

"What happened, Zack?" Shepard asks, stopping.

"I tripped on something." He replies, wiping the mud from his helmet. Kyle walks over to the spot where Zack tripped, and turns on a torch. Zack and Shepard get on their knees and wipe away the mud, but they pull away, horrified.

The top half of a human body is lying in the mud, eyes open in a permanent stare of horror. Now they're looking for them, the group can make out similar shapes lying in the mud all around them.

"Oh my god," Rosie mutters, hands over her mouth.

"What could have done this?" Kyle asks, shocked.

"Let's not stick around to find out." Zack replies.

"All teams, back to the central plaza now!" Shepard shouts into her mike, and leads the way back to the vehicles.

"What is it, commander?" Whitney asks as they run towards the vehicles.

"The colonists are dead Whitney." Shepard replies. "Has Regal Roller 1 returned yet?"

"No, we're still waiting on them."

"Damn it." Shepard mutters as the rest of the squadron files back into the plaza. "Has John managed to get a signal?"

"No." John opens the hatch of the grizzly and sticks his head out. "Something's jamming me."

"Well then we'll have to-" Zack starts, but he's interrupted by a loud screaming. The group turns, and sees a lone and bloodied marine running back down the hill from the transmitter.

"They're all dead!" He sobs. "Every last one of them! Dead!"

"Corporal, what happened!" Shepard grabs him by the shoulders.

"They came up out of the ground, snatched them up!" The terrified marine wails. "We didn't see them until it was too late."

"Did you find out what happened with the transmitter?" Kyle asks.

"Someone had set it to jam all outbound signals." The marine cries. "We disabled it, but that's when they attacked. Ripped up out of the ground, tore through the grizzly like it was nothing!"

"Oh no," Rosie whispers, the colour draining from her face. "It can't be."

"What is it? Rosie?" Shepard asks, turning to face her.

"Thresher Maws. It has to be."

"No, it can't be." Zack replies, shaking his head. "There have never been any reported sightings from this planet."

"Look at the evidence, Zack!" Rosie shouts. "The land is definitely flat enough for them, and it matches the corporal's statements, plus it fits with the bodies we found. What else could it be?"

"John, please tell me you've got a signal!" Shepard shouts, running over to the grizzly.

"Yes!" She hears a triumphant shout from inside. "We have a signal!"

"Good job!" Shepard shouts back. "Now get a message to the admi-" Shepard stops in mid-sentence as the ground starts to shake. All the soldiers look around, terrified. Suddenly, without warning, the grizzly goes flying in a cloud of mud and lands 20 feet away, crushing a group of marines and exploding in a ball of flame.

"JOHN!" Shepard shouts, but is flung backwards by an unseen shape in the mud.

"Tasha!" Rosie shouts, and she and Zack run forward to help the commander up. The mud falls back down into the ground, revealing the thirty foot long thresher maw looming above them. Similar to a worm, its long pincers click together menacingly in front of its gaping maw as the beast leers down at the humans. The marines raise their weapons, but the maw spins around and spits globules of acid at the soldiers. The acid hits, and the marines melt to a puddle of gory gloop in a matter of seconds.

"OPEN FIRE!" Shepard bellows, raises her pistol and fires. The other soldiers join in, but the Maw shrugs the fire off and dives back underground.

"RETREAT!" Zack orders, and climbs into a nearby Mako with Whitney. The engine revs up and Whitney swings the cannon round, scanning for the Thresher Maw's resurface. Shepard gestures to Rosie and Kyle, and the three of them run over to a nearby Grizzly. But as they near it, another Maw rears up out of the ground, and spits acid onto the APC, and it rusts away into useless scrap. Zack drives the Mako away as Whitney opens fire, but another Maw rears up in front of the Mako, blocking its path. Zack tries to steer out the way, but the maw collapses forward, crushing the Mako and its occupants while the other decimates Regal Squadron.

"ZACK! WHITNEY!" Shepard shouts, and her eyes glow a fiery blue. She reaches out with two hands, and picks up two Makos with her biotic powers. As her face contorts into a mask of anger and hatred, she flings a Mako at each of the Maws. One lands head on and crashes into the maw's jaw, exploding on impact, but the other one soars wide. The few remaining Marines make a break for the vehicles.

"Come on Shepard!" Kyle shouts, grabbing Shepard's arm and pulling her along towards the vehicles with Rosie following. The three of them scramble into a Grizzly with two other Marines. Rosie and Kyle take the driver's seats while Shepard mans the turret. As the engine roars to life, Shepard brings the cannon round and blasts the remaining Thresher Maw in the neck. It screeches angrily, and retreats back under the soil.

"Let's go Kyle!" Rosie shouts. Kyle nods determinedly, and rides the Grizzly out of the colony at top speed. Shepard turns the turret and looks behind her. Smoke from the destroyed vehicles billows up into the sky as more and more Thresher Maws emerge to pick off any surviving Marines. They drive on for a few minutes in silence. In the cabin, the marines are shivering violently as Rosie quietly cries in the front seat. Kyle reaches out an arm to comfort her, and she tears his helmet off and kisses him. Kyle is shocked at first, but quickly responds by kissing back. Shepard coughs loudly, and the two break off, Rosie's tears transferred onto Kyle's cheeks.

"Wait till we get off this rock, then you can kiss all you want." Shepard mutters, scanning the landscape.

Rosie smiles sheepishly and she turns back to look out the windscreen, but suddenly screams "KYLE WATCH OUT!" Shepard brings the cannon round, but it's too late; a thresher maw burrows up just as the grizzly passes over it, and is sent flying through the air. The vehicle crashes down into the mud with a loud crash, and Shepard is flung from her seat into the side wall, snapping her left arm. The interior lighting flickers off, plunging the vehicle into darkness, but the vehicle seems to be upright.

"Rosie? Kyle, are you alright?" Shepard asks through the darkness, grimacing at the pain from her arm. "Anyone?" The emergency lights flicker on, illuminating the cabin in red. Shepard looks behind her. The two marines are lying dead, spattered with blood. In the front, Rosie, with a bloody wound in her side, is crying over Kyle's unmoving body. The front viewscreen has smashed, and Shepard can see the Thresher maw out in the mud.

"Rosie," Shepard mutters, tears brimming in her eyes. "Rosie, we have to go."

"I… Can't…" She sobs. "I love him, Shep. I can't go on without him."

"Please Rosie. I don't want to lose anyone else today." Shepard begs.

"Shepard, you have to." Rosie replies, turning to face the commander. "I wouldn't make it anyway. Not with this hole in my side. You have to tell Hackett what's happened."

"You can make it," Shepard pleads, tearing off her cracked helmet. "Come on, Rosie."

"I can't. The Thresher Maw would pick us off before we got close to the landing pad, even if we were both totally healthy." Rosie replies. "You have to go Shepard. I'll distract the maw while you make a break for it."

"Rosie, I-"

"Please, Natasha. Just do it." Rosie stares into Shepard's eyes, pleading. "I can't go on. The least I can do is buy you some time."

"Rosie…"

"Please?"

"Okay. If that's really what you want." Shepard agrees hesitantly.

"Thanks Shepard," Rosie smiles weakly. "Here, take this." She reaches into her armour and pulls out a small data disk.

"What is it?" Shepard asks, taking it in her hands.

"It's everything I should have told you." Rosie places her hands over Shepard's, closing them around the disk. "Keep it safe. And look after him."

"I will." Shepard replies, nodding firmly. "Wait, look after who?"

Rosie smiles and replies "Mine and Kyle's son."

"Oh my god, Rosie…" Shepard replies, shocked. "When?"

"A few years ago." She smiles, weakly. "When we were on leave. The disk has everything you need to know. Please, look after him."

"I give you my word." Shepard replies. "I will do everything in my power to keep him safe."

"Thank you, Shepard." Rosie hauls herself into the gunner's seat, clutching the wound in her side. She grabs the controls and powers up the gun. "You'd better go. Good luck Shepard."

"Goodbye Rosie." Shepard quickly hugs her lieutenant. "Say sorry to everyone for me, when you meet them beyond."

"Shepard, remember this. It wasn't your fault." Rosie says, firmly. "There was no way you could have known what had happened. This isn't, and never will be, your fault."

"Thanks, Rosie." Shepard smiles sadly, and opens the hatch. "Goodbye."

Rosie nods back sadly, tears spilling down her pale cheeks, and salutes Shepard. The commander slides out of the hatch as the gun beeps as it reaches full power. Shepard runs away from the damaged vehicle as Rosie brings the cannon round and fires at the creature. The thresher maw screeches, and heads towards the Mako. As Shepard runs, the ground starts to shake as more of the creatures surface around the grizzly. Through the radio, the commander can hear Rosie crying as she fires on the approaching beasts.

"Goodbye Shepard." Rosie cries softly, as the Thresher Maws reach the grizzly. Shepard reaches up and turns her radio off as the grizzly is torn apart. However, the ground beneath Shepard starts to shake. Shepard sprints off at full speed as a Thresher Maw emerges behind her. It roars loudly, attracting the attention of the others, who give chase. Shepard reaches the edge of a cliff, overlooking the landing pad as the monsters pursue her. Having no choice, she throws herself off the cliff just as a maw dives down into the earth where she had just been standing.

Using her biotic powers, Shepard manages to slow her descent, but lands hard in the mud, splashing it all up her dark green armour and onto her face and hair. The pilot on the landing pad hears the noise and looks over to where Shepard landed.

"Start up the shuttle!" Shepard shouts manically. "Hurry!" The pilot looks on, bewildered, until he sees the Thresher Maws atop the cliff. Terrified, he turns and runs back to the shuttle and powers up the engines. Shepard turns and looks behind her as she runs to the landing pad, and sees one of the beasts dive back down. The ground in front of her starts to quake, so Shepard leaps up just as a Thresher Maw head bursts out of the muddy ground. The beast's jaws loom towards her, so reaching out with her biotic abilities she pushes the maw's maw back down whilst propelling herself up. As the maw sinks back into the earth, Shepard lands with a crash down to earth, mud staining her blonde hair and earth green armour beyond recognition. But the fire in her eyes burns brighter, and with a last burst of strength sprints to the shuttle. As soon as she is through the doors, they seal shut and the pilot brings the shuttle up just as a Thresher Maw bursts through the landing pad below, obliterating it. Shepard collapses into a seat, panting heavily as tears slowly roll down her cheeks.


End file.
